When I had announced my tour to Gujarat my cousins in Chennai came up with request for a few specialty bakery products from Surat. One of them was not known even to Rajiv and Hetal Shahwho have been residents of the town for decades.
Sagla Bagla is touted as Surat's baklava. Mohammadi bakery in Zampa Bazaar is famous for the product and Rajiv made arrangements for it to be bought by his office assistant.
This morning I wanted have my favourite
fafda and
jalebi for breakfast. Rajiv said that we would get the best from Shiv Shakti Sweets, which has been offering delicious sweets, savories, chocolates, dry fruits, sherbets, etc for more than 40 years in the City. In any case I had to buy
Son Papdi,
flat Chikki and
ice halwa from Shiv Shakti. I picked up all that and some more when hot
jalebis were being made and packed. Rajiv took us to one of his friend's shop in a Food Court where we polished off the
jalebi and
fafda with
kadi and washed them down with tea.
The next on the list to buy was
khari puff from Dotiwala. Rajiv took me to the main shop which has a very interesting history. A warehouse had been established in Surat on Dutch Road by the Dutch during their reign in India. Five Surti Parsis had been engaged by them to bake their breads. When the Dutch packed their bags from India one of the Surti Parsis was handed over the ovens, Faramji Pestonji Dotivala. That institution is now over two centuries old and has been handled by six generations of Dotivalas and has survived cut-throat competition due to their insistence on high production standards and quality products.
The major plan for the day was to visit Dandi, to appreciate the newly made memorial, inaugurated by the PM in 30 January 2019, which is a tribute to the launch of Civil Disobedience movement against the British Raj. Gandhiji and his 80 followers walked 241 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi between 12 March and 5 April 1930. This intensified the non-violent struggle against the suffocating British Raj. Breaking the Salt Law on the shores of the Dandi beach on 6 April 1930 shook the foundations of the Raj.
The Saifee Villa at the entrance to the memorial is where Gandhiji stayed the day prior to the historic act. The entire journey from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi has been vividly captured in sculptures and photographs all along the lovely memorial. Leaf shaped solar panel trees makes this the first fully solar powered memorial. It was interesting to note that the 80 participants of the march included people of all faiths and regions.
Rajiv had arranged with one of his friends to visit the factory of Avinash, who specializes in prefab houses. It was a revelation to know that his clients were not only in India but also abroad. Unique technology and techniques are his secrets. He uses light weight imported lava stones to aid his production. Only when you visit such units you realise the potential that our country has to be Atma Nirbhar.
Hetal served an elaborate lunch, to which her friend, Bina Mehta, generously contributed. The brown rice, dhansak and patra fish were awesome.
Dumas beach is about 20 km from Surat and is infamously known as a haunted beach. Said to have been a burial site, coupled with the black sand of the beach, the place gained its notoriety. However, one needs binoculars now to see any vestiges of the Arabian Sea. The place is extremely popular for the shacks that serve snacks, particularly
Lashkari Tomato Bhajiyas, and Indian and Chinese cuisine. The Morarji Circle has a giant statue of a monster made out of plastic disposable bottles to bring home the ecological ill effects of plastic.
Rajiv has been on car expeditions to Singapore and Morocco in the past few years, which has given a fillip to road expeditions from Gujarat. Hetal and Rajiv took me to Soul Bay, a farm house bang on the Tapi River, which belonged to their friend. This had been the venue for the flag off of his recent expedition all over India. The glorious sunset we enjoyed from there signified the end to a most fascinating trip in Gujarat, thanks to Rajiv and Hetal Shah, Sanjay Gadhavi, Chintan Sheth, Surendra Bihola and a host of others.
Dinner was with three others travel agent friends of Rajiv who had made a 36 day tour of India with him, Vocal For Local, in October this year. The drive to all the State and UT capitals, as well as the four corners of India, served to popularize local travel in the aftermath of the pandemic. Safe travel with precautions had been the theme of the immensely popular expedition. The impact of internet on traditional travel agency businesses was spiritedly discussed during the evening over snacks and dinner.
In my observation, Surat is likely to be the next Mumbai. The proximity to the aging and creaking metropolis, the development of superb infrastructure, relatively cheaper commercial spaces, wide open spaces and the Gujarati attitude of "Can do, Will do", in my opinion, are the reasons why the next decade may belong to this Smart City.
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